Soaring Sabres prospect aims to become bigger 'threat' in one key area

Vasily Zelenov has been one of the best pure passers in the Buffalo Sabres' prospect pool pretty much since the moment they selected him in the seventh round of the 2024 draft, but the rapidly improving winger knows a more well-rounded skill set is necessary to reach the NHL.

Zelenov, who scored 19 points (six goals and 13 assists) in 28 games as a freshman at the University of Wisconsin last season, is cooking early in his sophomore campaign. He's tallied a goal and six helpers through the Badgers' first four games.

While he's still mostly operating as play creator, the 20-year-old Russian told Jane McNally of Sabres.com he understands the need to develop his shot:

"It almost has been a problem growing up. ... I've always been a pass-first guy, and it's a kind of a mindset that could be both beneficial and not. I see the ice really well, I know it's one of my strengths. However, I am working on being a threat with the puck, and obviously my shot. I think that when I see a play, I can make it. So I just need to be more versatile on offense."

Sabres prospect Vasily Zelenov

Nevertheless, his steady improvement since the Sabres picked him is putting him on a path toward greatly outperforming his draft position.

Zelenov's long-term upside will be heavily tied to his ability to become a more consistent goal scorer, though. Doing so forces opponents to take that aspect of his game more seriously, and will create more space for him to utilize that high-end playmaking talent.

Wisconsin head coach Mike Hastings predicted to McNally that Zelenov is likely heading toward a "short" college stay: "It's not going to be four years."

That's probably accurate. If he can build off his standout start to the season, there's even a chance the Sabres will try signing him to an entry-level contract in the spring.

A timetable for his arrival to Buffalo is much harder to predict, though.

Vasily Zelenov is suddenly accelerating his path toward the Sabres

Although Zelenov was solid through his first year with the Badgers, there wasn't an indication he was getting close to pro readiness. He doesn't have a massive frame (6'0'', 195 pounds), which made it tough for him to produce against older, stronger competition at times.

The outlook is quickly starting to change, though.

He looks far more confident in the offensive zone as a sophomore, and he's taken an important role in the center of the Wisconsin power play. That's an area of the game the Sabres have really struggled in the early going of the 2026-27 NHL campaign.

That said, it's still going to take quite a bit of time before he's ready for the NHL. His skating still has substantial room for improvement and, while his defensive impacts have been solid for the Badgers, it's still an area for growth since he's likely trending toward a middle- or bottom-six role.

That's why Zelenov, even if he joins the Sabres organization late in the current season, will probably be ticketed for a few years with the AHL's Rochester Americans. Playing a significant role for the Amerks will help him develop those intricacies, as well as gaining further special teams experience.

A lot can change over the course of a few years, of course. The winger is a perfect example of that, and if he's able to sustain a monster breakthrough season at Wisconsin, it's always possible the timetable can be sped up.

That said, there's still a lot of uncertainty about his true NHL potential and it'll probably be closer to 2030 before it's clear whether he's a future full-time fixture for Buffalo.

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